Apply for a residence permit to take an examination for the recognition of a foreign professional qualification

If your foreign professional qualification cannot yet be recognized in Germany and you only need to pass one examination for recognition, you can obtain a residence permit to take the examination.

You can obtain a residence permit for the following examinations:

• an examination that establishes the equivalence of your foreign professional qualification with a domestic professional qualification
• an examination in a profession regulated in Germany so that you are authorized to practice the profession
• an examination that allows you to use a professional title

Language and technical language examinations are also possible. You can also take several examinations.

If you wish to attend an exam preparation course before taking the exam, you will need an additional residence permit. This is called a "residence permit for the implementation of a qualification measure for the recognition of foreign professional qualifications".

You must prove your language skills to the immigration authority if proof of language skills is not the subject of your examination.

The "Residence permit to take an examination for the recognition of a foreign professional qualification" does not yet entitle you to practise your profession. After successfully passing the examination, you can change to an employment title or a job-seeking title.

The "Residence permit to take an examination for the recognition of a foreign professional qualification" is limited in time and is valid for the duration of your examination procedure. The examination procedure covers the period from taking the examination to the announcement of the examination result. In addition to the announcement of the examination result, the end point of the examination procedure can also be a decision by the competent authority that concludes the procedure.